Dr Sarah Taylor

With a background in Fine Art Painting, Sarah trained for her MA at Chelsea College of Art, London & subsequently was awarded a Jr. Fellowship in Painting at The University of Wales, Cardiff. Since completing a full time practice led PhD at the University of Ulster, Belfast (funded by The Department for Employment and Learning) Sarah’s practice led research continues to investigate how painting is situated within codes of class and gender as they relate to questions of aesthetics in painting.

Sarah has been teaching Fine Art in Higher Education since 1991, and became a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2007. Her extensive teaching experience includes working with students in higher education on BA. MA. & Doctorate programmes. She is currently the External Examiner for the MA & Professional Doctorate in Fine Art at the University of East London.

Sarah has exhibited her work both nationally and internationally. In addition to leading the Painting Strand on the BA (Hons) Fine Art course at Leeds Arts University, Sarah is the level 6 Year Tutor. She also leads one of the University's four research clusters, Crossing Borders. The aim of the cluster is to support and explore national & international links and cross-disciplinary activity.

Brief Synopsis of Research: Aspirational Beauty

My research focus is on my practice as a painter with the intention of examining how this is situated within codes of class and gender as they relate to questions of aesthetics in painting. My doctorial research (2011) introduced the concept of Aspirational Beauty. The concept of Aspirational Beauty is to understand creative endeavours and practices that are outside of, or marginalized from established theoretical conventions and definitions. The concept of Aspirational Beauty is traced and articulated through a process of writing through multi disciplinary perspectives that incorporate and link painting, history, material culture, literature, sociology and fine art practice. Aspirational Beauty is, I argue, a creative resistance to conforming to socially inscribed ideals of respectability. My research considers Aspirational Beauty as a possible position in establishing aesthetic resistance to class shame.

Research Interests

The relationship between gendered working class identity and painting as a value-laden form of aesthetic practice

International survey exhibitions of contemporary painting since the 1980s

Taylor, S. Paul, L. 2016, Making Research, Northern Film School Research Seminar Series. Artists talk and workshop in collaboration with Dr Lewis Paul from the Northern Film School.

Taylor, S. Paul, L. 2016, Opening event of Catalytic Commoning. Investigating the processes of design and the teaching of design, the event questions what is real and what is ‘common’ as a new approach to architecture making.

2014 Arts Council of Wales for the exhibition Labour Exchange & Artists talk.2013 Arts Council of England for the exhibition A Fake’s Progress2013 SMART consultants, the North East’s leading Art Agency, for One Way or Another.2007-10 DEL Postgraduate Scholarship for PhD.